One of the most vitriolic insults in Alaska politics is the accusation of adhering to the “Lower 48,” a code that states candidates follow marching orders from powerful forces in the contiguous United States rather than stand up for the people of Alaska.
It is a central theme of the Alaskans US Senate raceone of the few expected to decide control of the chamber in the November election.
Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan’s campaign has made him a key line of attack against Democrat Mary Peltola, a former congresswoman. He puts them in line with the “Lower 48 Liberals,” who oppose expanding oil and gas production in a state that has been heavily dependent on the industry for decades.
Peltola, an Alaska native, countered “took over” the then president Joe Biden, a fellow Democrat, is expected to help win approval for the massive Willow oil project in 2023 Environmentalists were strongly opposed. She also says she will “take on anyone, including Democrats — anyone in the lower 48 who doesn’t understand what Alaska needs.”
The derogatory term reflects a mystique about Alaska, often referred to by outsiders as “The Last.” Border.” Alaska has been a state for less than 70 years and is known for its natural beauty, wildlife and vast landscapes. Its rural nature – isolated from the rest of the country and with many of its communities only accessible by air or water – promotes self-reliance. It’s a place where many residents hunt and fish to fill their freezers for the winter and pride themselves on their independence.
The two major Senate campaigns and some third-party groups have echoed that sentiment — that Alaska is different — and portrayed their candidates as authentic voices for Alaskans.
“We love the idea that Alaska is a tough place to live,” said Republican Andrew Halcro, a political podcast host and former state lawmaker who has lived almost his entire life in the state.
The abundance of oil and other resources has led to tensions with the federal government
Rich in natural resources, Alaska has long had a love-hate relationship with the federal government, which owns about 60% of the state’s land. This relationship has been particularly strained under Democratic presidential administrations, which have sought to limit logging, mining, and the availability of areas for oil and gas development for environmental reasons.
Policies are subject to change dramatically from one government to the next.
The Democratic Obama and Biden administrations have banned leasing of about half of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, which supports wildlife such as caribou and polar bears and provides habitat for millions of migratory birds. Republican President Donald Trump’s administration has rolled back these and other restrictions as part of a broader push for expanded oil and gas production in Alaska. The administration is too Assistance with leasing sales in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
The state was also outraged by the Democrats’ efforts Road construction and logging are suffocating in areas such as the Tongass National Forest, a temperate rainforest in southeast Alaska. This dispute dates back to the Clinton administration.
Alaska’s share of oil and mineral royalties on federal lands has been another ongoing source of tension. Some lawmakers say the state was promised a larger share of statehood and the federal government has done so could not comply It’s the end of the deal.
While oil production is a fraction of its peak in the late 1980s and has declined in recent years, political leaders have pointed to signs of a turnaround. Among other things, they point to the strong interest of large companies Rental contracts snapped up in a sale earlier this year for the petroleum reserve that hosts the Willow project.
Alaska communities have been hit hard by fuel price spikes caused by the Iran War. This is particularly true in remote communities, whose fuel must be flown in or delivered by barge before the rivers freeze over.
Oil production is the main issue in this year’s election for Darryl Hugo, who lives in the small North Slope community of Anaktuvuk Pass. He supports Sullivan, noting that oil revenues largely support his city’s health care, schools, police, fire and water systems.
“My region’s economy depends on oil,” he said on a messaging app.
The candidates are believed to be trying to stake a claim as “the true spokesperson for the real Alaska.”
Robert Sewell, a Juneau-area independent, said he viewed the Lower 48’s taunts and Peltola’s attempt to distance himself from national Democrats as examples of the candidates “struggling to find out who the true spokesman for the real Alaska is.”
He also compares it a bit to schoolyard taunting: “I know it’s you, but what am I?”
Peltola, while you unsuccessful 2024 congressional re-election campaignShe refused to support Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and said she would not vote for Trump. This year, Harris sent out a fundraising appeal before Alaska’s August primary election offering Peltola’s support.
In response, Peltola’s campaign told reporters that it is “not seeking support from anyone in the Lower 48.”
In videos highlighting her support of the Willow oil project, Peltola said she would work with Trump, who ably dominated Alaska in each of his three elections, to advance more oil and gas projects.
“I took on Joe Biden to secure the largest development project in decades,” she said in a video on social media. “And I will work with Donald Trump on more projects.”
Sewell, a Peltola supporter, said he doesn’t begrudge himself that position. He said he didn’t think “for a moment that she likes Trump or Trump’s plans” on other issues.
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Peltolawho is called Yup’ik, is among the approximately 43% of Alaskans born in the state. She grew up fishing on the Kuskokwim River in western Alaska and features fishing photos prominently on her website. Her campaign slogan, “Fish, Family, Freedom,” is intended to appeal to what she believes are the shared values of Alaskans.
Sullivan is originally from Ohio and came to Alaska in the late 1990s when he was in his early 30s. A retired naval officer, he served as attorney general and commissioner of natural resources in Alaska and was deputy secretary of state in the administration of President George W. Bush.
Nate Adams, spokesman for Sullivan, said on behalf of the senator: “Being an Alaskan means loving this state, fighting every day for our fellow Alaskans and ensuring that Alaskans, not lower 48 liberals, decide our future.”
The SLF PAC, which supports a majority of Senate Republicans, has weighed in on this issue. In one of his ads, a spokesman says of Peltola: “They dress her up, throw her in a creek somewhere and make her look like an Alaskan.” Another says, “Mary Peltola sounds like Alaska, but takes a different line in Washington, DC.”
Peltola’s campaign says Alaskans “will not be fooled by mudslinging advertising.” In a statement, her campaign aimed to link Sullivan to “Lower 48 special interest donors.”
Halcro, the former lawmaker and podcaster, said people in Alaska have been inundated with such ads and flyers, but he’s not sure voters this year want to hear the message about which candidate is less aligned with the Lower 48.
“This all just serves to make us angry at a time when we really, really, really just need stability,” he said. “We just have to elect someone who won’t break anything.”